Ephemeroptera: Ameletidae of Gunnison County, ColoradoIntroduction to Ameletus
Brown Duns, Dark Brown Spinner, Ameletid Minnow MayfliesEaton, 1885
Updated 10 Dec 2009
TSN 100996
Provisional Ameletus Species List
Links
Photo of larval mouth - showing "row of pectinate spines on the maxillae" I must insist! Look at this picture if you haven't seen this before! From the California Aquatic Bioassesment Lab http://www.dfg.ca.gov/abl/images2/ameletus_spines.png
North American Ameletus list - from Mayfly Central http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/research/mayfly/species.html#GenusAmeletus
PAN Pesticides database: http://www.pesticideinfo.org/List_AquireAll.jsp?Species=6024∓Effect=
References
Allan,JD 1978 Diet of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell) and Brown Trout (Salmo trutta L.) in an alpine stream. Internationale Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie Verhandlungen 20, 2045-2050.
Allen,RK; Chao,ESM 1981 Mayflies of the Southwest: new records and notes of Siphlonuridae (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 57, 449-456.
Argyle,DW; Edmunds,GF 1962 Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Curecanti Reservoir Basins Gunnison River, Colorado. University of Utah Anthropological Papers 59 8, 178-189.
Quote from page 181 regarding Ameletus spp.: There are at least 4 and probably 5 species represented by these collections. Until they are successfully reared, they cannot be identified. They were collected from riffle areas or quiet water by a riffle. They were often found closer to the bank than the center of the stream. They were found at only one station in the Gunnison River. Subsequent collections in the spring of 1962 indicate that they are well distributed in the main river."
Buchwalter,DB; Luoma,SN 2005 Differences indissolved cadmium and zinc uptake among stream insects: mechanistic explanations. Environmental Science and Technology 39, 498-504.
Clemens WA. 1922 A parthenogenetic mayfly (Ameletus ludens Needham). Canadian Entomologist 54:77-78.
Dodds,GS 1923 Mayflies from Colorado: descriptions of certain species and notes on others. Transactions of American Entomological Society 69, 93-116.
Dodds GS; Hisaw FL. 1925. Ecological studies on aquatic insects. IV. Altitudinal range and zonation of mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies in the Colorado Rockies. Ecology 6(4)380-390. Abstract
Eaton AE. 1883-1888. A revisional monograph of recent Ephemeridae or mayflies. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Second Series, Zoology 3:1-352, 65 pl.
The Reverend described the genus Ameletus for the first time along with many other mayfly genera and species. The genus name means neglected or overlooked.
[I looked for the illustrations, but they appear to be mislabeled or non-existent, I'll try again when I have time.]
NAWQA National Water-Quality Assessment database said this genus was found in their samples from Gunnison County. Searched 1Sept2005.
Pennack,RW; Ward,JV 1986 Interstital faunal communities of the hyporheic and adjacent groundwater biotopes of a Colorado mountain stream. Archiv für Hydrobiologie Suppl. 74 3, 356-396.
They found Ameletus sp. nymphs in the hyporheic zone of the South Platte river in the Front Range of Colorado at 1863 meters elevation.
Poff,NL; Olden,JD; Viera,NKM; Finn,DS; Simmons,MP; Kondratieff,BC 2006 Functional trait niches of American lotic insects: traits-based ecological applications in light of phylogenetic relationships. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 25 4, 730-755.
Here are the traits for this genus from the Appendix:
| Life History |
Voltinism |
Univoltine - 1 generation/year |
| Development |
Fast Seasonal |
| Synchronization of emergence |
Well synchronized (day) |
| Adult life span |
Less than 1 month |
| Adult ability to exit |
Absent |
| Ability to survive dessication |
Absent |
| Mobility |
Female dispersal |
Less than 1km flight before laying eggs |
| Adult flying strength |
Weak - cannot fly into light breeze |
| Occurance in drift |
Rare (catastrophic only) |
| Maximum crawling rate |
High - faster than 100 cm/hour |
| Swimming ability |
Strong |
| Morphology |
Attachment |
None (free ranging) |
| Armoring |
None: soft - bodied |
| Shape |
Streamlined: fusiform |
| Respiration |
Gills |
| Size at maturity |
Small (less than 9mm) |
| Ecology |
Rheophily |
Depositonal and erosional |
| Thermal preference |
Cold stenothermal or Cool eurythermal |
| Habit |
Swim |
| Trophic habit |
Collector-gatherer |
Stanford JA; Gaufin AR. 1974 Hyporheic communities of two Montana rivers. Science 185:700-702.
The authors report Ameletus nymphs from the hyporheic zone of the Flathead River in Montana, USA.
Zloty,J 1996 A revision of nearctic Ameletus mayflies based on adult males, with descriptions of seven new species (Ephemeroptera: Ameletidae). Canadian Entomologist 128, 293-346. PDF
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